'Pacman' joins former NFL pariah Michael Irvin for radio chat

SCHUYLER DIXON

Published 7:00 pm, Monday, March 24, 2008

Associated Press Writer

Troubled cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones spent time Tuesday with someone who knows what it's like to be an NFL pariah, appearing on Michael Irvin's radio show amid speculation he could become the next Dallas Cowboys reclamation project.

Jones, suspended from the NFL and unlikely to rejoin the Tennessee Titans if he gets to play again, discussed his six arrests since being drafted, his chances for reinstatement and where he might end up if he gets the OK from commissioner Roger Goodell.

His host during the three-hour show was a former Cowboys star who jeopardized his eventual Pro Football Hall of Fame induction with sordid off-the-field problems involving strippers and substance abuse. Irvin once admitted that he thought his actions cost Dallas at least one Super Bowl, if not more.

Jones was the first defensive player drafted in 2005 with the sixth pick out of West Virginia, and he was Tennessee's best defender in 2005 and 2006.

But Goodell suspended Jones for the 2007 season for his off-field conduct. Jones settled the last of his criminal charges Feb. 14 by entering an Alford plea to obstruction of a police officer in Georgia, which left him with a felony conviction.

Jones had agreed to stay out of strip clubs, but went to an Atlanta club Jan. 3, prompting Goodell to send Jones a letter in February barring him from working out at Titans headquarters. The commissioner also said Jones would be reconsidered for reinstatement before training camp.

Jones told Irvin that he's working hard to make good decisions, including steering clear of some relatives he grew up with.

"It's like I'm on a cliff right now. Any slip-up and I'm off the cliff," said Jones, who said his relative understand that he needs to "separate himself" from some people in his past.

Jones' suspension can't stop the Titans from trading him, which is where the Cowboys speculation comes in. Titans coach Jeff Fisher has said repeatedly that the team has "moved on" in regard to Jones.

The Cowboys have had a measure of success bringing in players with troubled pasts. The best example is a current one: receiver Terrell Owens.

After his stormy tenure in Philadelphia ended with a suspension and release, he came to Dallas and has been one of the league's most productive receivers the past two seasons. There was, however, an accidental drug overdose that caused a media frenzy his first year.

The Cowboys trace much of their Super Bowl success in the 1990s to plucking unhappy pass rusher Charles Haley out of San Francisco. He was quiet and productive in Dallas.